Having The Best Poop Scooping Appointment In 2024

In this blog I’m going to go over everything you should expect on your first appointment as a pet waste removal business!

Failing to plan is planning to fail so i always like to set expectations with my clients before i go over for their scooping appointment.

I always reach out to the client the day before the appointment to confirm the time and to verify their address.

I also like to let them know that i’m going to text them before i’m on my way.

That way the client will have an opportunity to lock any doggy doors and make sure their dogs are not in the yard.

The next day you’re probably going to be filled with a bunch of nervous energy and a little bit of anxiety and that’s okay.

It’s the first time you’re going to meet this client and you want to make a great first impression.

So make sure you’re not scrambling during your appointment time and put all of your equipment in the back of your car the morning of!

It’ll be one less thing for you to stress about and you can focus on providing the type of experience you want your clients to have.

Plan to arrive at least 10 minutes early for a good first impression!

Just think about appointments that you’ve had in the past with either a service provider or a landscaper.

They tell you something about being at your house between eight to five and now you’re expected to be around all day waiting for them to show up.

I make sure to under promise and over deliver.

I give them their appointment time and then i show up a little bit early.

I’ve had many positive reviews specifically because of being on time so that’s something you want to keep in mind!

Once you’re ready to go make sure you text the client that you’re on the way.

This will give your client enough time for them to put the dogs away and for you to scoop safely.

A lot will be going through your mind while you’re driving to your appointment.

It’s completely normal to be a little nervous but this is an exciting opportunity for you.

Once you get to their address just take a moment to look in the mirror and smile.

Take a deep breath and acknowledge that you are about to do your first appointment and that you are a real business owner.

How many businesses haven’t been able to get one client and now you have one.

And if you can do it once you can do it twice and you can do it thrice and that’s how you grow your business!

Text the client that you’re outside and make sure you start prepping your equipment.

Put a plastic bag over your bucket or your dustpan and make sure you put your boots on.

Boots are extremely important especially when it’s your first time exploring your yard as you’re not going to know where any of the poop is.

Now is the time to greet your customer!

This is where you let your personality shine and you try to provide them the type of experience you want your clients to have.

Saying hi with a big smile and asking them about their day goes a long way for their customer satisfaction.

They will typically lead you to the yard or give you instructions on how to get there.

Consider asking the client if there are any specific places in the yard that they want you to focus on.

Some dogs like pooping in a specific area or along the fence and this information will help you find them in a more efficient manner.

Let the client know that you’ll text them when you’re done. If they ask you if they should pay now or later from a customer experience point of view i always said later.

That will give them an opportunity to see your work ethic exploring the yard and a higher likelihood that they will tip you after doing a great job.

Now the moment of truth – Let’s Get To Scooping!

Find one corner of the yard and start walking towards the opposite side.

While you’re walking you’ll want to make sure that your eyesight is directly in front of your feet.

You should also fan your head left and right so you have a wider range of view.

Keep walking until you find a poop pebble to scoop up or you reach the edge of the yard.

Walk along the edge of the yard for a couple of steps, turn, and walk to the opposite side of the yard.

You’ll do this over and over until you complete the entire yard.

Make sure you thoroughly check the parts of the yard that’s against the fence.

I found a lot of poop pebbles would tend to get stuck there.

If this is your first time scooping the yard, more likely than not you’ll have to use more than one bag.

When your bag is full make a mental note of where you are in the yard and walk back to your car.

When putting your waste away remember to double bag the bag per your state requirements and to help have a more sanitary environment and to minimize the smell.

Put a new plastic bag over your bucket or your dustpan and go back to where you left off.

Once you fully explore the yard what i like to do is do the exact same thing going the opposite way!

At the end of the day you’re running a business and I’d rather have quality service instead of focusing on getting things done as fast as possible.

This will also help because many times poop pebbles will be hidden because of weird shadowing in the grass and walking through the grass from a different perspective will help you find them.

Many clients have told me that they stopped working with previous poop scooping businesses because they don’t do a thorough enough job.

You’re not expected to grab every single poop pebble but if you put in a little effort it’ll go a long way in the eyes of your client.

Using this strategy and depending on the size of the yard and how many dogs you’ve had and how long it’s been since their last cleaning, you should expect that the first scooping appointment should take between 45 minutes to an hour and a half.

Text your client that you’re all done with the appointment and make sure you don’t leave any equipment in their yard.

Your client will pay you for your services and hopefully they gave you a small tip!

At this time I’ll make sure to ask them if they want to continue with any weekly or monthly scooping appointments.

You’ll make a lot of money doing one-time cleaning appointments but the real money is once you start having a bunch of weekly customers that you service!

If you want to learn how much you should charge to pick up dog poop, click the link down below!

And I’ll see you on the next scoop!

And As Always, Acknowledge The Now! Bye!